1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an absorbent article, such as a diaper, an incontinence pad, a sanitary towel or the like, having an upper surface, which is intended to face a wearer during use, and a lower surface, which is intended to face away from the wearer during use, the upper surface being liquid-permeable at least within a primary liquid reception area, and an absorption body with a liquid distribution layer.
2. Related Art
One problem associated with absorbent articles intended for absorbing fluid bodily discharges, such as urine, menstrual fluid and runny motions, is that the penetration of the liquid into and the absorption of the liquid by the article do not take place sufficiently rapidly. In particular when urination takes place, and relatively large amounts of liquid are discharged in a short time and meet the article at high pressure, it is not an uncommon occurrence for liquid which is not taken up by the article to flow out over its surface instead and cause leakage. Another disadvantage of poor liquid acquisition capacity in an absorbent article is that the liquid is spread over the surface and causes the latter to become wet, which feels unpleasant against the skin of the wearer. This problem is especially marked in the case of highly viscous liquids, such as menstrual blood and loose motions. In addition to the fact that a wet surface can feel sticky and uncomfortable, there is of course also a risk of chafing and other irritation of the skin of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,245 describes an absorbent article where a transport layer transfers liquid to a liquid storage layer. The transport layer preferably consists of fibres with superficial capillaries, and the liquid transport is therefore dependent on capillary forces. Such liquid transport is slow, and the article described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,245 is therefore not suitable for absorption of large amounts of bodily fluid or for minimizing wetting on the surface of an absorbent article.
A need therefore remains for an absorbent article with the capacity rapidly to acquire and absorb bodily fluid. There is also a need for an absorbent article which spreads the liquid in the article with minimum wetting of the surface of the article, so that the surface is kept as dry as possible during use.